KND: Final Tendencies
by DC2030
Summary: A Galactic Endgame Tie-in. Technical sequel to KND: Passive Tendencies.
1. I

**I've been kicking around the idea of doing another 'Tendencies' story for a while now, so I decided that this would be the best time if there ever was one to do another one. This doesn't link up with the last 'Tendencies' story because this occurs after chapter twenty in KND: Galactic Endgame. Well, read and enjoy.**

* * *

**6 Years After Operation Z.E.R.O.**

**Brookfield Insane Asylum**

**May 16****th**

Two orderlies led an elderly man into the recreation room within the Asylum. They set the man amongst a number of other patients in front of an old black and white television. The orderlies switched on the television just in time for the five o'clock news.

"_Days have passed since the death of Quahog, Rhode Island's own residential vigilante, The Sandman. The identity of The Sandman was also made public days later, revealed to be none other than sixteen year old Nolan York."_

The elderly man shook suddenly at the mention of the teen's name.

"_Nolan York was at one point a member of the Kids Next Door, known as Numbuh 2030. It can only be assumed that his time spent with them influenced him to wage a war on crime, in ways that the Kids Next Door dare not attempt."_

The old man shook his head, catching the attention of the orderlies. "Hey…he's never done that before, right?"

"He's been a mindless sack for over six years. Never blinking, no muscle spasm, nothing." The other orderly mentioned.

"_Despite his controversial fight against what he perceived to be crime, an Icarus Corp funded funeral is being prepared for tomorrow afternoon."_

The elderly man shot up from he was seat, staggering forward to turn off the television. Much to the shock of the orderlies, the elderly man turned to them and smiled. He simply walked off, leaving the two orderlies to watch in awe.

* * *

**Civic City, Pennsylvania**

**August 9****th**

_"…Please tell me I'm dead…"_

_"__A friend of yours is lost…I do believe you should find her…"_

_'…I'd like to go back to sleep now… That deep sleep that was stolen from me when I was sent here… I think I've earned it…'_

_"It isn't every day someone gets resurrected. Yet you continue to sink into the pit, wondering why you were given a second chance, something many would gladly kill for."_

_"Oh my god…my baby boy."_

A teen with messy dark hair, wearing baggy khaki cargo pants and a light sweater shook himself out of his thoughts. The teen stood on a sidewalk outside an electronics store amongst a crowd. The crowd had gathered last night, all waiting for this one television to turn back on after a day of darkness.

"_In the aftermath of panic outbreaks across the globe, major cities across the world are slowly regaining control and returning to normal. President Benedict Uno will be addressing the nation on the whole matter later this evening."_

"What a bunch of baloney." A man with a scruffy beard muttered. "I tell you all, this is just going to get worse, can't you tell? First he's cutting down tree houses, blaming kids, and now the entire countries breaking out in mass panic? I tell you, the moment that Benedict Uno stepped into office, the entire world just had a stroke."

"I didn't vote for him." A woman nearby shrugged.

The teen smiled, noting the change in everyone's tune. Months ago, if the boy had been present at a gathering similar to this, they would have mentioned the KND and how they were to blame. 'Everyone's waking up.' The teen thought. 'They've opened their eyes to Benedict's administration. It's up to Nigel and the others now, I guess.'

The teen walked away from the television as the crowd began to disperse. He knew all he needed to know, things were changing. The teen glanced to his left where a worker at a local butcher shop was currently ripping Anti-KND posters off the side of his shop. 'Things are changing for the better.' The teen thought with a smile.

"You seem to be awfully cheerful." The teen need not turn, already knowing the individual behind him.

"Why shouldn't I be, Carol?" The teen smiled as a girl with red hair in a ponytail walked up beside him. "People are waking up, realizing that they've been following a fool."

"Speaking of fools." The girl, Carol, said quickly changing the topic. "Infinity wants me to go run an errand for him, nothing too big. He mentioned something about gathering an army."

"Are we that close to the end?" The teen asked.

"Apparently so." Carol shrugged. "Do tell your mother I said 'thank you', it was kind of her to let me stay at your place."

"Anytime Carol." The teen's smile faltered slightly. "Sure you don't want me to come with? Not like I got anything going on here."

"Thanks, but no thanks 'Locksmith." Carol said as she began to walk away from the teen.

"You sure? I mean-I can help." The teen said as he watched Carol, the former Numbuh C4, depart.

"Nolan." Carol turned back to the teen. "Just live, for once. You deserved it." With that said, Carol walked off.

The teen, Nolan, hung his head low in disappointment. "If I 'deserved it' you would've said 'yes'." Nolan brooded.

The teen walked along the sidewalk, walking past faces unknown. He thought in silence as he walked against a gentle breeze. His mind juggled events in his head. His attention jumped from the events surrounding his death months ago and his miraculous revival, from his past troubles with the opposite gender, to his encounter with Carol the day before. A frown soon found its way on his face. His thoughts soon fell onto the KND. Countless memories, countless people he'd met during his time.

He recalled his moving to Quahog and meeting Sector Q, the day that changed his life forever. He recalled the events leading to his joining the KND, being kidnapped by a teen called Prom Queen and her Teen Ninjas. The sole two members of aging Sector Q saved him, but it came at a price. One was decommissioned due to extensive injuries, while later on down the line the other would die saving him and his teammates.

Nolan soon found himself in a section of his memories he'd wish to forget, his lowest moments, the darkest moments, and even the worst moments of his life. Cries of agony rang through the boy's head. His heart began to beat twice as fast, the road ahead appeared to shake and his vision blurred. Nolan stopped in his tracks and leaned against a nearby wall. Time passed as Nolan regained his composure.

He shook his head, choosing not to have his mind wander to such memories again. A soda bar in the corner of Nolan's eye quickly provided him a distraction from his thoughts. He spun on his heel and walked into the soda bar. The soda bar was dimly lit, teens with personalities written on their sleeves sat in booths, drinking their problems away on root beer. Nolan took a seat at the counter, hailing the bartender.

"Can I get a root beer?" he asked. The bartender simply nodded. He pulled a bottle out of a mini fridge and popped the cap off. He set a coaster before Nolan, allowing the bartender to safely place the ice cold soda bottle without fear of damaging his precious counter top. "Is the coaster necessary?"

"It's the policy." The bartender muttered.

"Thanks." It had been a while, Nolan thought. Root beer had a strange effect on kids, it gave them a sugar rush, it threw them off their game during missions. That's the reason why he hadn't touched a single drop of root beer in six years. Unlike any of the other sodas, root beer had the strongest effect on kids, especially on the hundreds of operatives within the KND.

But what should he care. Nolan took a sip of his drink. He was retired. No longer was he needed. Not by Numbuh Infinity's Society, not by the people of Quahog, not by the god of dreams, not by anyone. He wasn't a vigilante anymore, he wasn't helping the fight against Benedict Uno either, he was just good ol' former Numbuh 2030, supposedly decommissioned and supposed to be deceased.

One bottle of root beer turned to two, then to four. Nolan slumped onto the counter top, staring at his latest glass of soda. "The soda limit is six." The bartender said to Nolan. "Even for teens."

"Gotcha." Nolan muttered. Even in his groggy state, he could count. The bartender had just taken his fourth bottle away and replaced it with a fifth, the one in his hand. "That means I can have one more."

"I wouldn't recommend it." The bartender muttered as another teen took a seat at the counter. The bartender left to attend the new patron, leaving Nolan with his fifth root beer.

He may have been older, but Nolan could feel the effects of the root beer, it felt just like how it did six years ago. It wasn't a giant jolt of energy; it was the crash the normally occurred afterward, a sudden tiredness. Deciding it would be best to leave while he still could; Nolan pulled out his wallet and paid for his drinks. He stumbled off his seat and staggered out the door.

By the time Nolan left the soda bar, no longer was it the morning, but late in the afternoon. Nolan sighed, feeling the chill of the coming night air. He zipped up his jacket and walked off. He turned to his street, having only recently taken up residence in Civic City, he found it quite difficult to locate his house. He heard sudden gasps from down the street. A bright light glowed at the end of the street, attracting the attention of the neighbors. Doors opened, people ran out, murmuring, shouting, asking aloud what it could be. Nolan's curiosity got the better of him. He followed their example and walked to the end of the street.

There, too much of his surprise, a dummy decked out with a grey hoodie and a gas mask was stapled to a wooden stake and lit aflame. "Honey." Nolan looked over his shoulder to find his mother approaching the gathering crowd. "What is it?"

Nolan looked back to the house, his house; his mother had walked from. It had two floors, a total of five rooms consisting of two bed rooms, a guest room, an office, and a living room, and no backyard. There was nothing special about his house, except that it was lined up with the flaming dummy at an angle. It was obvious, he was meant to see it. His room on the second floor could clearly see it no matter how many were in the crowd.

Nolan turned back to the dummy, noting the gas mask the dummy had on. It was a message, Nolan thought. Someone knew where he was, and they wanted him to know it. Someone knows who he is, where he lives, and they were rubbing it in his face. They wanted him to feel uneasy, to know that they could have easily gotten him in his sleep. Instead, they set up an elaborate display for him to see.

"Someone knows I'm here mom." Nolan whispered, lest not alert one of the surrounding neighbors. "And they want me to know it." For the first time in a long time, Nolan felt a sense of dread, a sense of worry, a sense of panic.

* * *

**This was actually my third draft for this story, I actually made it all the way to chapter four before scrapping everything and redoing it. Well trivia aside I hope you enjoyed this chapter. In the words of Tino from the Weekenders: 'Later Days'.**


	2. II

**Second chapter. Bang.**

* * *

**August 9****th**

**Civic City, Pennsylvania**

**7:55 PM**

Nolan York, the former Numbuh 2030, and former masked vigilante, sat on his bed, phone in hand. 'For the sake of all that's good and proper, answer the phone!' Nolan shouted mentally as he dialed up a number for the umpteenth time. Once more, all Nolan got was the answering machine.

Nolan sighed, falling back into his bed. He felt dizzy, he saw the world spinning and he knew not why. His heart was pounding and his heart beat rapidly. Time passed, his heart beat steadied. Nolan soon found himself in the darkness of his room, staring out his window at the still dummy, who's flame had been put out earlier. 'Who would go through so much effort just to set this up?' Nolan thought.

A knock on his door snapped Nolan out of his train of thought. "Yes?" Nolan asked aloud. The door opened and his mother, Kyla York, walked in.

"Nolan, I'm ordering pizza, what kind would you like?" Kyla asked in a motherly tone.

"I'm not hungry mom." Nolan muttered, not moving from where he lay.

"Oh don't give me that." Kyla frowned. "Teenagers only say that, I know you're hungry."

"No, seriously, Mom, I'm fine. I'm not hungry."

"Fine, I'll just go ask your friend Carol if she'd like som-"

"Don't." Nolan interrupted. "She left."

"Oh…that would explain why she wasn't in the guest room this morning…" Mrs. York trailed off with disappointment.

"Yeah…" Nolan frowned. "No, mom, I'm sorry if I'm acting like a pain right now, but I've got things on my mind right now. Thinking about pizza toppings isn't my top priority at the moment."

Kyla begrudgingly nodded, stepping backwards and exiting her son's room, closing the door behind her. Nolan sighed. The former Sector Q operative sat up, looking to a battered gas mask on his desk. "I'm retired." He reassured himself. "I'm also very tired." He yawned. Nolan fell back into his bed. He kicked off his shoes and hit off his lamp beside his bed.

As if on cue, the dummy outside caught on fire once more, this time, however, the flame produced doubled its intensity illuminating the entire street. Nolan looked out his window once more as more questions popped into his head. Suddenly, something unspeakable happened. It moved.

Nolan's brows rose with surprise as the dummy's head turned to look up at him. The gas mask melted off completely, revealing a skeleton like face. The Dummy ripped itself off the stake, taking it's time to stretch its limbs. It looked up at Nolan and pointed to him. "Oh, mister Sandman, bring me a dream." The dummy laughed. The dummy then turned and walked away, leaving a trail of smelted ground in its wake.

Wide eyed, Nolan could only watch the dummy's actions. The teen backed up against one of his walls, slumping against it. It was happening again. He knew what was going on now, it was a panic attack. Numbuh 10.01 had plenty of these in the KND. He was sweating, his breathing uncontrollable, and it felt as if the room itself was spinning out of control. Nolan fell over, attempting to calm himself. He lay in place for some time, until his breathing realized, until he could stand. Although silent, Nolan's mind was at constant work trying to figure out what was wrong with him. He never had a panic attack, _never_.

Even in panic, Nolan soon found his way to the land of dreams. His dream took him to places at the back of his mind. It was as if he was given an outsiders view of his life. He watched a seven year old version of himself waiting for his father to return home. He watched his first encounter with the KND. He watched as he wrote his confession into the Book of KND. It was ever so minor to him, but a breach of trust in others. He moved on past that memory, to more recent events. His return home, to his mother who had mourned in privacy, and even to the question he asked Carol over root beer.

It was weird, the feeling that dreams gave him. It was as if he was conscious whenever he dreamt, able to watch and remember every second of it. Perhaps it was a side effect of the years her served as Morpheus' envoy. No matter, he could never interact with the dream, never mold it into what he wanted, forced to watch as it took on a life of its own.

The KND flag appeared prominently in his dream. The flag waved in the background of every major event that played out in the dream. The flag started out as a silhouette, eventually appearing more prominently until it consumed his dream. Then, it all went dark. He wasn't awake, Nolan knew better, he was still dreaming, he just didn't know what he was dreaming.

Nolan's outsider view switched to first person as the dream continued. It was unclear what memory he could possibly be reliving, until a door appeared before Nolan. The door's design was unlike any other, it was one of a kind. He felt terror, anguish, not wanting to relive this moment, _never_ wanting to relive this moment.

_Nolan lifted his leg, kicking a door in. _Nolan shook his head, unable to not see what was going on. _Nolan lifted a modified M.U.S.K.E.T., rapidly pulling the trigger and dispatching two guards. _"No…" _Nolan approached a door labeled 'Megan'. _"No." _Nolan pushed the door open, raising his weapon at a five year old girl staring at a white wall. The girl slowly turned to face Nolan. "Greetings Nolan."_

"NNNOOO!" Nolan screamed. He jumped out of his bed, falling to the side.

"Nolan?!" The door to Nolan's room flew open, his mother rushing in with concern. She knelt beside her son, reaching out to him, only for him to hold up a hand.

"I'm fine." He stated. "Just a bad dream."

"You could've woken the entire neighborhood." Mrs. York said.

"A rude awakening never hurt anyone." Nolan muttered, getting on his feet. "Thank you for your concern, mom." Nolan hopped back into bed.

"It's a mother's job to be concerned." Mrs. York stated, agitated by her son's tone. "I can't do my job if you keep putting up barriers son."

Nolan sat up in his bed, looking his mother in the eyes. "Those 'barriers', mom, are there for a reason. If you knew what I went through, if you saw the things I saw…I don't know what you'd think of me."

"I know that you died!" Mrs. York shouted, tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes. "Imagine your baby boy dying, knowing you couldn't do anything to prevent it. I worry so much for you and your wellbeing, Nolan."

"I know, mom." Nolan whispered. "That's the point. I don't want you to worry about me…look, mom, can we have this conversation later…it's late." Nolan turned to his clock, revealing it to be half past two in the morning.

Mrs. York wiped away a tear. "Fine. We'll discuss this later." Mrs. York left her son's room, closing his door behind her.

That was all the former Numbuh 2030 needed at the moment and he hated himself for it. It was one thing to shout in anger, but to shout at his mother, that was a different story. And he hated himself for it.

* * *

**Center of Civic City**

**August 10th**

"Did you deliver our message?" An elderly man asked as the burning dummy arrived. The dummy nodded. "Good." The elderly man turned to a group of teens wearing a gas mask. "I believe you yourself have a personal vendetta against our mutual friend, yes?"

"Ever since what he did to me in the KND, all I've ever wanted to do was kill him." The teen spoke angrily.

"Good. Our message has been delivered, you may do as you wish." The elderly man turned around and walked off with the burning dummy. "Enjoy, Numbuh 99 and friends."

"It's 'The Sandmen', old man." The teen said spitefully as a dozen similarly dressed teens in combat gear and gas masks appeared. "We don't need your grace, all we want is that jerk's death."

The elderly man stopped in his tracks. He turned around, showing off a wicked smile. "Then what are you waiting for? You know where he goes, you know where he walks, you know where he drinks, and best of all, you know where he _lives_."


	3. III

**Chapter 3, here we go.**

* * *

_Nolan lifted his leg, kicking a door in. Nolan shook his head, unable to not see what was going on. Nolan lifted a modified M.U.S.K.E.T., rapidly pulling the trigger and dispatching two guards. Nolan approached a door labeled 'Megan'. Nolan pushed the door open, raising his weapon at a five year old girl staring at a white wall. The girl slowly turned to face Nolan. "Greetings Nolan."_

"_How do you know my name?" Nolan cautiously asked, keeping his weapon trained on the five year old._

_"__I read your mind." She simply stated. "Death really is a terrible thing." her eyes narrowed as she said this._

_"__If you read my mind…then you know why I'm here?" Nolan said, approaching the girl._

_"__Yes…and you've found your target. The supposed 'messiah'." The little girl stood up and turned to face Nolan._

_"__Y-you?" Nolan asked, stopping in his tracks._

_"__Yes…surprised?"_

_"__I never thought a kid would assist the worst human scum bag in all of existence." _

_"__You never bother to ask questions do you?" She asked sarcastically._

_"__You're the mind reader" Nolan retorted._

* * *

**August 10****th**

**Civic City, Pennsylvania**

Another day in the life of Nolan York, the former KND operative turned retired vigilante. After a night of panic, Nolan had finally gathered his bearings and gone out. The dark haired teen currently found himself looking over a new text message from an old friend.

'_Going into space! TTYL!' _

Nolan smiled. The text was at least two days old. He'd been left out of the loop for some time. Anyway, he was glad she was excited, but also afraid for her wellbeing. He was afraid for them all. Anyways, he thought. Nolan set his phone in his pocket, feeling a need for sugary refreshment. He got up from where he was seated and began to walk to the soda bar from the other day.

The streets weren't as busy as the day before. Not as many cars, not as many people, seemingly as if everyone else had somewhere else to be. He made note of this as he entered the soda bar. Unlike the day before, all the patrons kept to themselves, none indicated at all where they came from or what kind of heart wrenching background they had as opposed to the patrons from yesterday. They seemed normal if there ever was such a thing.

Something was up. Nonetheless, Nolan took a seat at the counter from yesterday. "Can I get a root beer?" Nolan asked the bartender. The bartender too was different. He had short hair and glasses. The bartender nodded, getting Nolan an ice cold root beer from a mini fridge behind the counter. The bartender popped the cap, placing the glass bottle on the counter before Nolan. That confirmed it, thought Nolan.

"Hey, bartender." Nolan called over the bartender.

"What?" He asked rudely.

"Aren't you forgetting the coaster? It is the policy after all." Nolan narrowed his eyes, looking into the reflection from the bartender's glasses. Behind him, the teens in the booths were slowly drawing concealed firearms. "Next time you try this, do your homework." With that, Nolan grabbed his root beer and leapt over the counter.

The teens swiftly raised their weapons and opened fire. Their bullets struck the bartender, who's body collapsed next to Nolan, who was currently taking a sip out of his root beer. "Man, that's good stuff." He said behind cover.

"Masks on!" one of the teens shouted. The entirety of the teens present placed gas masks over their face as instructed. "Close in on him! Don't give him any room to breathe!"

Nolan drank down the last of his root beer, savoring the taste. "Let's have at it then." He reached over to the fallen bartender, reaching for his glasses. Nolan tossed the glasses in to the air, only for several bullets to shred it to pieces. Let's see, thought Nolan as he recalled walking into the soda bar. Twelve teens, twelve guns, ten bullets each, and apparently trigger-happy by the looks of things. Nolan turned to look at the dead bartender.

Obviously using semi-auto, Nolan thought, recalling the image of the teens drawing their guns in the reflection of the bartender's glasses. Their all low or out of ammo, Nolan concluded. Nolan held his glass upward, allowing it to peak out behind the counter. Bullets flew, breaking through the bottle until a familiar 'click' sound repeated at least twelve times.

Nolan smirked. "Let's dance." Nolan leapt out from the counter, his broken bottle in hand. He lashed at the teens as they attempted to reload. He cut their hands, causing them to drop their guns. One teen swung at Nolan, who blocked with the broken bottle. The teen shouted before receiving a silencing punch to the jaw. Two teens ran at Nolan who stepped back, letting them collide together. Another punched Nolan across his face, causing him to drop the glass bottle.

The teen punched Nolan again, sending him spinning into the arms of two other teens. The teens grabbed his arms, holding him in place. Another teen quickly reclaimed her gun, and reloaded it with lighting speed. She shot with her left hand, accidently hitting one of the teens holding Nolan. The teen dropped to the floor, leaving only one holding Nolan.

With his arm free, Nolan punched the remaining teen in the gut, causing him to double over. With all his might, Nolan threw the teen over his shoulder at the girl with the gun, knocking her over. The remaining six teens merely charged him as a group. Nolan reached out for a stool, swinging it to keep them back. One of the teens jumped upward, only to be struck by the stool and knocked behind the counter. Two of the teens, seeing an opportunity, charged Nolan, knocking him against the counter. Nolan repeatedly smacked the two with the stool until it broke in two.

The teens punched Nolan in the gut, causing him to double over. They kneed his shoulders and kicked at his knees. Nolan glared at the ground and swung right, punching one of the teens in the crotch. The teen fell over causing the other to back away. Nolan jumped upward, kneeing the teen in the jaw, breaking through his gas mask and knocking him out instantly.

Nolan looked to the reaming four teens. Wait…four? Nolan thought to himself surprised. As it turned out, the teens that were still able to fight had gotten back up, swiftly bringing their number to seven. Fight or flee, thought Nolan. Flee. Nolan charged forward pushing past two teens and to the soda bar's exit.

"Let him go." The teens turned to a teen with crew cut brown hair. "We'll get him soon enough."

* * *

**York Residence**

Nolan sat in his bathroom, applying anti-bacterial medicine to a cut on his cheek. Nolan fumed, mentally berating himself for even sitting down at the soda bar. The signs were all there and he still let them get to him. Sloppy, he thought as he cleaned a cut. He'd been out of commission far longer than he thought. If he hadn't ran, they would've taken him. He couldn't keep enough of them down, they had him out numbered and out gunned. Thankfully they were cocky; they figured they had already won before he even entered the room.

Nolan pulled up his sleeve, finding a piece of glass stuck in his arm. Nolan yanked the glass out of his arm, much to his displeasure. He noted how deep the wound was, deciding to pull out a sewing kit. He got a needle and string and stitched himself up, applying anti-bacterial medicine afterwards. Nolan sighed, taking a seat on the toilet. For all he knew, he could've died. Upon thinking this, Nolan began to sweat, the room began to spin. His breathing had tripled.

Nolan leaned on the toilet, holding himself as he suffered through another panic attack. For all he knew, this one would not end like the last one. "Dear…Morpheus…" Nolan breathed heavily. Nolan eventually calmed down, this time, however, taking longer than the last time. He'd suffered his second panic attack, all in the same day. Nolan sighed, looking to his stitched up wound. "Ow…"

"Nolan? Are you in there?" Mrs. York knocked on the bathroom door.

"Yes mom." Nolan answered with a sigh.

"Are you alright?" She asked concerned.

"Yes, mom, I'm alright!" Nolan lied.

"Okay, just checking." With that, Mrs. York walked away.

Nolan shook his head. Why was he lying to his mother, after all, she was now aware of his activities. But, even so, she isn't as accepting. He's supposed to be living a normal life now, he's retired, but someone is pulling him back in. More than likely it's Benedict Uno, trying to finish what he started months ago. Then again, maybe it isn't. Nolan thought back to the fight, noting that they took the time to put on gas masks that were so similar to his own.

Whoever wanted him gone wasn't just trying dust him, but also trying to mess with his head. He could have killed him rather than set the dummy up outside in his neighborhood, heck, he could've had the dummy try to snuff him. He wanted the teens to wear the gas masks to mock him, to mock the Sandman. Whoever this person was, he didn't just want to Nolan to die, he wanted him to suffer, destroy everything he stood for. Now then, he now knows what this guy's game is. He just struck him at a business that he frequented just yesterday. Now, where would he strike him next?

The sound of his front door breaking apart answered his unspoken question. Nolan leaped to his feet and dashed out of the bathroom. He heard his mother scream. He heard the dropping of a glass cup. He jump down the stairs and landed on his feet. There before him in the doorway stood three teens and his mother on her knees and a gun to the back of her head.

"Hi there, Nolan." One of the teens addressed Nolan behind his gas mask.

Recognizing the voice behind the mask, Nolan narrowed his. "Garret."

"I'm so happy you remember me." Garret mockingly bowed.

"Nolan…" Mrs. York said as low as a whisper as tears streaked her eyes.

"Mom…" Nolan clenched his fist around the piece of glass he'd removed from his arm.

"I've always dreamt of this moment Nolan." Garret laughed and shook his head. "The thing about us, Nolan, I never cheated to get where I am, I never once betrayed my friends to reach my position in the Kids Next Door, I fought the good fight, I fought for what we all believed, I-!"

"Talk too much." Nolan interrupted. He swiftly pulled his arm back and aimed. He threw the glass, stabbing into the hand of the teen holding a gun to the back of his mother's head. "Mom run!" Nolan shouted as the teen dropped his gun to cradle his wounded hand.

"Shoot him!" Garret commanded. Mrs. York made a mad dash to the kitchen as Nolan ducked, barely missing oncoming gun fire from the teen to Garret's right. He ran at the teen, tackling him to the ground.

Nolan's heart began to pound rapidly. He brought his fist up and slammed it down on the teen in rage. He repeatedly beat the teen with his fist until being thrown off the floor into the air by Garret. "You really should have let me finish my speech. I hope you realize this but I actually took the time to prepare it." Garret coolly said as he approached a downed Nolan. "It also would have extended your life expectancy."

"Shut up." Nolan staggered back onto his feet as the room began to spin.

"Make me." Garret ran forward, throwing a punch at Nolan. Nolan raised his left arm to block, only for the force to spin him backwards. "You're out of shape York. I see why you retired." Garret smirked. Garret charged Nolan, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks. Garret spun into the air, kicking Nolan in his chest, knocking him over and landing on the last three steps of chairs.

"I was always a better operative, Nolan." Garret drew a gun from its holster and aimed at Nolan. "And now you finally know it."

Nolan scowled through beads of sweat. Nolan punched forward, smacking the gun out of Garret's hand. Nolan kicked at Garret's knee, causing the teen to lose balance. Nolan then elbowed the side of Garret's head knocking him down to the floor hard.

"You lacked morals. You put promotions before the actual job. You took ice cream bribes and took time out of your shift to hit on Numbuh 11 every time she step foot on the Moon Base. Trust me; you never were a good operative." Nolan said angrily. "You're also not bright enough to think this all through. Someone else is pulling the strings here.

"Indeed." An elderly voice spoke confidently. Nolan turned sharply, only to be welcomed by four needles being jammed into his arm. Nolan followed the needles to the hand they were attached to, and much to his horror, he recognized the owner.

"You?" Nolan spoke breathlessly as green liquid entered his blood stream.

Nolan fell to the floor as the grip on reality loosened. He looked up in horror as the dummy from earlier walked through the front door of his house, accompanied from an elderly man with a cane. Nolan began to twitch uncontrollably as he recognized the elderly man.

"Hello Nolan." The elderly man smiled. "It's a nice day. I believe you recognize Garret, an old friends of yours. The abomination to my right here, this is Mortis, say 'hi' Mortis."

"Hi." The burning dummy, Mortis spoke eerily.

"Oh, it looks like you've seen a ghost." The elderly man said, noticing Nolan's paling features. "After all it was about six years ago since the last time we met. When you and your band of brats left me in the looney bin. After yoy took my company and turned it into some sort pro-kids foundation. After you destroyed my plans for a kid free world!"

"It's me, Numbuh 2030. It's me, Jonah Icarus." The elderly man smiled creepily.

"I just sat through a speech from that idiot over there, so please forgive me if I seem disinterested." Nolan motioned to Garret as everyone around him turned into horrific monsters before his eyes.

"Forget prolonging revenge!" Garret shouted, getting to his feet. "Let's just kill him!"

"Hm." Jonah tapped his chin. "Your right, Mortis kill Sandman."

"It's about tim-!" Garret exclaimed only to be struck by a fireball from Mortis. The living dummy merely laughed as Garret's lifeless body caught on fire.

"You see, Nolan, as you slowly lose what little sanity you have left. I want you to _hurt_, I want you to feel the same pain I felt the moment I woke up in Brookfield. I want your entire world to burn around you, starting with this miserable city you've come to in order to seek refuge!" Jonah Icarus shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Mortis! Burn this city to the ground!" Jonah commanded. The living fire dummy gleefully nodded, running out the front of the house and setting off on his task. Jonah walked off, leaving the two teens behind. "Remember, don't kill him."

With one last look over his shoulder, Jonah smirked. "Oh and Nolan if you somehow manage to pick yourself up, I do hope you try to stop us. Our little game isn't quite done yet." With that they left, leaving Nolan on the floor of his house, watching as the horrific nightmare outside turn into something worse through the power of the nightmare toxin in his blood stream.


	4. IV

**Chapter 4.**

* * *

In one moment, he's walking towards a park in Quahog. A baseball bat over his shoulder as he happily looks towards a group of kids playing the game. The next moment he's being carried out of a collapsing gymnasium by a twelve-year old he's known for only two weeks.

In one moment, he's on a bus, sharing a cookie as he travels to the Kids Next Doo Arctic Base. The he's smiling yet freighted by the girl sitting beside him. The next moment he's standing on the Moon Base, choosing his number, unaware his savior is being recruited to the TND in the next room.

In one moment, he's in the streets, fighting teens. In another moment, he's looking over the body of his savior in the street. In one moment, he holds the key to salvation. In the next moment, he stomps it out. In one moment, he's alone in Sector Q. In another moment, he's on the Moon Base, forming the Prospectors.

In one moment, he's fighting for children everywhere against a man who embodies all that is wrong with the world. The next, he's down a hallway, kicking open a door, finding the instrument of childhoods impending destruction, in the form of a child itself.

Nolan convulsed on the floor, his eyes rapidly moving, fists grasping onto thin air, the toxin inside his body forcing him to relive his life in flashes. The panic attack bringing him back to the clutches of death.

Nolan screamed, knowing fully well what was about to happen. "The hell is wrong with him?" One of the teens left to guard asked.

"Who knows what goes through his messed up head." The other teen muttered. Both teens, caught up watching Nolan suffer under the effects of the nightmare toxin.

In one moment, he's sadly looking down to his friend's bible. In one moment, he's watching his friend bleed out from a bullet wound in the Grand Canyon. In one moment, he's watching the Kids Next Door divide into a civil war. In the next, he's walking out of a soda bar, everyone making up as if the whole ordeal never happened.

In one moment, he's on a date. The next, he's fending off a team of child villains from obtaining the C.O.D.E.M.O.D.U.L.E. In one moment, he looks over the spot his childhood died. In less than ten minutes later, he's being dragged away by the decommissioning squad.

In one moment, Numbuh Infinity tells him of a plan. In another moment, he's back home, pretending his memories were long gone. One moment, he's talking to his longtime friend and mentor. The next moment, he's in a morgue, identifying the body.

In one moment he's looking at a gas mask. In the next moment, he's wearing the mask, fighting for all he believed in. One moment, he's sitting at a table, waiting for his girlfriend. In one moment, he's teaching a victim of bullying all the principals he's grown up to believe. In one moment, he's bringing an escaped patient back to Brookfield Asylum. The next moment, he's running across his town, fighting evils known only he could best.

In one moment, he's tired and weary, trudging up a cliff in the pouring rain. In another moment, he's discovering his oldest friend has returned, only as a mangled perverted version of his former self. In one moment, he's pushing back tears as he looks to his partner looks to him with a faint smile. The next moment, he's falling endlessly, feeling the life in his body seep out of the bullet hole in his chest.

In one moment, he's sand. In another moment, he's rising up from the darkness, walking to a world unknown. In one moment, he's saving a friend. In another, he's speaking to some godly figure, telling him to be grateful for a new lease on life. Then, he's in Quahog, finishing what his mentor had started long ago and giving back someone's life. And then, he's here in Civic City, running to hug his mother.

In one moment, this moment, he feels all of the events that have occurred were preventable. If only he'd thought it out beforehand, if only he didn't let his emotions cloud his judgment, if only he ran a little faster, if only he tried harder. Nolan's cries of agony were muted out by his mother as she brutally assaulted the teens watching her son suffer.

It's one moment. It's always one moment. The one moment that makes the difference between life and death. The moment that solidifies your opinion on someone. The moment where you do all that you can. The moment you be human for once in your life.

_Nolan lifted his leg, kicking a door in. Nolan shook his head, unable to not see what was going on. Nolan lifted a modified M.U.S.K.E.T., rapidly pulling the trigger and dispatching two guards. Nolan approached a door labeled 'Megan'. Nolan pushed the door open, raising his weapon at a five year old girl staring at a white wall. The girl slowly turned to face Nolan. "Greetings Nolan."_

"_How do you know my name?" Nolan cautiously asked, keeping his weapon trained on the five year old._

_"__I read your mind." She simply stated. "Death really is a terrible thing." her eyes narrowed as she said this._

_"__If you read my mind…then you know why I'm here?" Nolan said, approaching the girl._

_"__Yes…and you've found your target. The supposed 'messiah'." The little girl stood up and turned to face Nolan._

_"__Y-you?" Nolan asked, stopping in his tracks._

_"__Yes…surprised?"_

_"__I never thought a kid would assist the worst human scum bag in all of existence." _

_"__You never bother to ask questions do you?" She asked sarcastically._

_"__You're the mind reader" Nolan retorted. _

_"Not just a mind reader" The girl glanced at a computer in the corner. The computr lifted off the ground and separated into its key components. The separated pieces of the computer then shook and glowed, turning to dust in an instant, causing Nolan's eyes to widen in shock. "I can do almost anything." The girl said sadly._

_You've got quite the gift." Nolan commented._

_"Yes…I do…but it's also a burden." The girl said as a tear rolled down her cheek._ _"Do you want to know why a child with powers over almost anything would want to help Jonah Icarus of all people transcend all of kid kind into adulthood?"_

_Nolan remained silent, keeping his weapon firmly trained on the girl. Nolan sighed as the girl's stray tears turned to streams as she sobbed. "Unlike you, or anyone else…I won't be able to see a thirteenth… These powers aren't a gift…they're a curse…" The girl dropped to her knees as her nose began to bleed. _

_Nolan hung his head low in silence, his finger easing up on the trigger of his weapon. "So…you joined Icarus because…unlike you…others will be given a chance to be an adult?" Nolan asked. The girl nodded in response. "How much time before you pass?"_

_"Not much." She cried._

_Nolan walked up to the girl, taking a seat beside her. He tossed his sidearm aside and hugging the girl as she cried. They both sat there in silence, waiting out her time._

"Icarus…" Nolan grinded his teeth in anger as he slowly regained his senses.

"Nolan." Nolan looked up, finding his mother looking down at him with dread in her expression. "Please, please speak to me."

"I'm alright, mom." Nolan said as low as a whisper. "I'm fine." Nolan stood, taking in the sight of the beaten teens. "Nice work, mom." He smiled lightly.

"Eh." Mrs. York smiled. "No one messes with my son."

Nolan turned to the front of his house, noting the state of Civic City. Houses burned, police sirens wailed, people crying in agony. Mrs. York turned to her son, noting the look on his face. "You're not going out there." She stated firmly.

"Mom…" Nolan looked to his mother.

"Let the police do their job, this doesn't concern you for a change."

"It concerned me the moment I walked to the park to play a game of baseball." Nolan muttered, spinning on his heel and heading up the stairs to his room. Nolan walked to his bed, kneeling and pulling a trunk out from under it. He opened the trunk, finding an array of 2x4 weaponry and a worn out back pack.

Nolan pulled out the back pack, throwing it onto his desk nearby. He grabbed a number of weapons and dragged them to the desk. He grabbed a welding torch and opened the back pack, pulling a harness out and proceeding to weld two gauntlets to the metal work. As he secured the gauntlets, he began welding weapons to the undersides of the arm bands. He set his tool aside and placed his 2x4 gear into the pack.

"I won't let you go out there…" Mrs. York spoke wearily as she stood in the door way. "I can't lose you again. First I lost your father, then you, Nolan…I can't lose you again." She sobbed.

Nolan walked to his closet, pulling it open and grabbing a jacket. "Mom." He turned to face his mother as he threw the jacket on. "We both know you can't stop me from going out there." Nolan walked to his desk, grabbing the back pack and throwing it on, checking the straps to make sure it fit. "Mom…I love you and I respect your wishes…but I have to do this."

Nolan grabbed the battered gas mask on his desk and placed it over his face. Nolan walked up to his mother as she cried. She quickly grabbed him and pulled the teen into a hug. "I just want you to know…I love you too son…I don't want you to go through with this."

"I'll be back mom." Nolan said as his mother released him. "I've got too much of dad and Wes in me." Mrs. York silently watched as her son walked down the stairs, her stream of tears finally ending. Nolan walked over the unconscious teens, picking up a discarded hand gun from beside Garret's burning body.

"…Icarus…" Nolan checked the weapon, noting it had a full clip of ten rounds. Nolan hit the safety, placing the gun in his back pocket. He walked out the front door of his house and out into the burning city.


	5. V

******Alright, chapter 5.** Updated 10/6/13 because it didn't turn out the way I wanted.

* * *

**Civic City**

**August 10****th**

The smoke covered sun reflected red as the life giving sun set over the horizon. Buildings burned as the burning dummy known as Mortis set the city ablaze. Jonah Icarus sat comfortably atop a church, watching gleefully at the destruction being committed by his creation. Adults and children alike ran from their burning homes and businesses in fear of the searing hot flames. Mortis chuckled as an anti-Kids Next Door poster burned under his boot.

"Everything burns." Jonah Icarus muttered coolly as he pulled out a wine bottle. The elderly man then proceeded to pour himself a glass. "Now where the devil is he?" He asked himself, taking a sip of his wine. "Don't tell me, Nolan, after years of my absence that you've grown soft? Not even capable of gathering the will to live, the conviction to succeed, the thirst for vengeance? Alas…I'll just torch the city then."

Cries of agony filled the streets Mortis walked. The streets themselves began to melt from the heat emitted by the burning dummy. Mercilessly, Mortis set a family on fire as they attempted to escape a burning building. No train of thought ran through the burning dummy's empty skull-like head as it committed atrocities.

Nolan York, dressed for battle in his gas mask, walked through panicking crowds. Adults and children ran frightened together, the first time in years both groups outside of the family ever partook in the same thing. Off in the distance, amongst the fire, Nolan could see Mortis with no sign of Jonah Icarus. First the tool, then the monster, Nolan thought as he grabbed a strap on his worn back pack.

Nolan yanked on the strap, causing a metal frame to spring out of the back pack he wore. Two sonic gauntlets threw themselves over Nolan's arms, attached to the gauntlets were two heavily modified 2x4 weapons. From the back of the back pack, two miniature jet engines, two wings attached to each, sprang out. The engines burned to life with an audible roar. Nolan looked ahead as he took off into the sky.

The gas mask wearing teen stretched his arms out before him, taking aim with his weapons as he jetted towards Mortis. "Bang." Nolan muttered under his breath as he unleashed a barrage of M.A.R.B.L.E.s from his left weapon and a volley of sharpened pencils from the right. The M.A.R.B.L.E.s struck an unsuspecting Mortis, throwing him off balance.

Mortis regained his footing, slowly turning to see Nolan flying at him. Mortis growled as flames began to spring out of his mouth. Mortis blasted a stream of fire at Nolan in the air. Nolan moved to the side, dodging the fire. Nolan accelerated, keeping up his onslaught against the fire breathing dummy.

"And so, he arrives, late as ever." Icarus mused, taking a sip of his wine. "Oh well, Mortis, just burn the life out of the little nuisance." Icarus spoke into a communicator.

Mortis grunted in acknowledgement. The burning dummy stretched out its arms, focusing the flames produced from its palms. As soon as Nolan was in range, Mortis let loose two enormous fireballs. Nolan attempted to dodge, only for the fireball to his right to cut through his right weapon, and the two wings on his right engine.

Nolan spiraled out of control as his right engine broke off from his harness. Nolan fell towards Mortis as his two remaining wings broke off from the speed of his fall. Nolan repositioned himself so his legs were stretched out before him. Nolan crashed into Mortis feet first, knock the burning dummy backwards. Nolan raised his remaining weapon, blasting himself off the burning dummy.

Mortis remained standing as Nolan skinned the back of his metal harness on the slightly melted street. Nolan got on his feet, taking aim at Mortis with his M.A.R.B.L.E. launching weapon. Mortis launched a fireball from his hand, striking the ammo casing currently in the weapon. Nolan's eyes widened as the M.A.R.B.L.E.s within began to warm up. Nolan quickly unfastened the gauntlet from his arm and broke the gauntlet on his right arm off from the harness.

Nolan chucked the harness at Mortis. The M.A.R.B.L.E.s within the weapon exploded, sending metal shrapnel towards Mortis direction. The shrapnel cut through Mortis, knocking the burning dummy on its back. Mortis slowly got on his feet, sparks flying out of his neck.

"Heh…you're a robot." Nolan noted the exposed wiring in Mortis neck as he worked on his sonic gauntlet. "You're not 'alive', because you're a robot. You never lived; you're just some robot henchman with a gimmick. I even bet you were built from the same tech used to create Project Zeta, which means you have no optics, no eyes." Nolan noted the lack of eye sensors from Mortis skull like head.

"So you're using echo location to see. Good." Nolan raised the intensity on his gauntlet but lowered the pitch. He raised his arm and aimed at Mortis' head. "Now, what happens when I focus a sound directly at your head? A sound that's so low only 'you' can hear it." Nolan hit the activation switch on his gauntlet, causing Mortis' head to explode. "Hm, cool." Nolan muttered coldly as Mortis' fire finally burned out.

Mortis' body fell onto the ground followed by an audible metallic clang. Nolan switched his gauntlet off and readjusted the settings. Nolan pulled the gun he'd taken from Garret's body out from his back pocket. Nolan spun around, facing the nearby church. He took aim and pulled the trigger, shooting a bullet through Icarus' wine bottle. Nolan glared at the elderly man, even moving the sights of the gun at Icarus' head.

"Oh, old sport, you're too high and mighty to try such a feat." Jonah Icarus stood from where he sat atop the church. "Come now, and meet death like the child you are." Icarus slipped on a gauntlet with four syringes over his right arm. The elderly man turned and walked back inside the church, knowing that Nolan would meet him inside.

It was a trap, it was obvious. Nolan didn't care; he simply walked up to the doors of the church and blasted them off their hinges with the use of his sonic gauntlet. Teens wearing gas masks walked out of the shadows within the church as Nolan walked inside. Nolan merely placed his sonic gauntlet firmly on the wooden floor as the teens drew their weapons. He hit the trigger, sending a sonic shockwave through the floor boards.

The floor boards shot up, striking the teens, knocking them around until Nolan shut off the gauntlet. The teens collapsed into unconsciousness as Nolan walked through the battered and broken church.

"Of course you defeated them, you always seem to do that." Nolan looked up to find Icarus walking down a staircase. "I am actually surprised to see you hold an actual firearm. You seemed to be above that."

Nolan remained silent. "Oh well." Jonah Icarus leapt off the staircase, landing before Nolan. Icarus raised his gauntlet, flicking the four syringe fingers. "Nightmare Toxin. If injected into the brain, the concentrated dose could kill within minutes. My sources say one of your friends died to such a fate, soon, you'll join him."

"Nothing?" Icarus raised a brow, expecting a reaction from the teen before him. "No reaction, no malice? What gives?" No response. "Oh well, your probably wondering why I even decided to come back and kill you. Think about it, what do 'I', gain from your demise, Nolan. Besides vengeance of course, but what do 'I' get of it? What part of your death benefits, me?" Icarus spoke as people began to gather outside the church.

Nolan blinked in response. "Fine, you'll die, anyways, might as well spill my guts before I spill yours." Icarus rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Look at the world round you, York, think about it, we both know what's coming. We both know the prophecy, the prophecy that I based my company around, my cult, the prophecy in your Book of KND."

"And then a chosen one will tip the scales, creating utter balance between both Adulthood and Childhood. And then the villain will burn. And so the hero will burn as well." Nolan spoke low like a whisper.

"So, you can speak after all." Icarus chuckled to himself. "The villain shall burn and so shall the hero. Benedict and Nigel shall both die, one way or another. Benedict shall tip the scales, he will eradicate your kind and then he shall be held as a murder. And I, Jonah Icarus, shall be there to lead humanity into a new golden age, an age where I control everything a world where children are subservient to adults."

"We shall be harsh, we shall be merciless, there will be no forgiveness for the children to come after the destruction. Bred from hate, brought up to despise children themselves, when they take over after us, they will follow the path we've drilled into their minds, they will be perfect adults, hating the demon spawns known as children. They will build statues in honor of me."

"And the best part…you won't be there to thwart my efforts such as in the past." Icarus smirked. "Benedict wins. Nigel Uno dies with the rest of your pathetic children. Benedict thrown in jail. And me leading the adults to the world I've always envisioned."

"Ha." Nolan mocked. "You're pathetic, you know that. You think you've thought this entire thing out, don't you? You think you know the outcome, you think you know what's up and what's down, but allow me to tell you the one flaw in your grand plan… Nigel can beat Benedict."

Icarus was stumped, eyes widened slightly. "H-How? No, no, he won't be able to."

"What? Is that denial I hear in your tone?" Nolan walked forward. "You look like your dreams have been crushed, Jonah…well, not yet at least. Oh, and here's one more monkey wrench, have you ever thought that, what if 'Nigel' wipes out adults instead of Benedict wiping out children."

"Shut up you brat!" Icarus shouted, losing his temper. Icarus lunged at Nolan as he walked. Icarus stabbed the teen's left arm with the syringe gauntlet, injecting the contents within the gauntlet into former KND operative. "You feel, it, don't?" Icarus spoke angrily. "A thousand nightmares running through your veins, you fought it off earlier, how about now?"

"Shut up." Nolan pressed his sonic gauntlet against Icarus' body and hit the switch, blasting the elderly villain backwards into a podium, leaving the syringe gauntlet firmly in Nolan's arm. Nolan pulled the syringes out of his arm, taking hold of the gauntlet. He brought the gauntlet up to his eyes and inspected it. Nolan tossed his sonic gauntlet aside, picking up the syringe glove and placing it over his arm. It scared him, to hold such a device that the likes of Legion once wore. But, once again, he compromised.

Icarus got onto his feet, taking the time to dust himself off. "You shouldn't be able to walk let alone stand." Icarus muttered as Nolan approached him. "How?"

"You're using Legion's original Nightmare Toxin, the same one that's been in my system a number of times. I've since developed antibodies. After that last injection, you've solidified my immunity. In retrospect you probably should've contacted Affright rather than Garret, he would've supplied a more potent toxin, one that could've killed me." Nolan bawled his gauntlet-less hand into a fist and ran at Icarus. The teen socked Icarus, knocking the elderly man onto the floor.

"For years your crimes have gone unpunished!" Nolan pulled Icarus up by his collar. "You've killed fourteen Teens Next Door Operatives. You killed Numbuh 283, Travis Wickens, the brother of one of my best friends. You killed thirty Sixth-Agers, and killed twenty three adults." Nolan jabbed a single syringe into Icarus' shoulder, injecting the toxin into his body. "You feel it, don't you? Your anxiety rising as your worst nightmare comes to life before your very eyes."

Jonah Icarus screamed as his eyes became blood red. "You also killed one other person, Icarus…you killed a little girl, a five year-old. Her name was Megan…she was a Make-A-Wish child. She sends her regards." With that, Nolan discarded the gauntlet and walked to the exit, leaving the elderly Icarus to face whatever nightmares his mind could imagine.

Nolan turned to the gathering mob of adults and children alike. "Hail a cab or something, get the police, I don't care, but if he doesn't get medical attention soon, the damage caused by the toxin in his system will be permanent." Nolan walked past the mob as blood curdling screams erupting from Icarus.

Nolan took in the sight of adults and children working together to douse the flames. 'Things are changing.' Nolan thought. 'Things are changing for the better.'

Nolan walked home, where he found his mother looking at a photo album on the couch. A tear ran across her eye as she looked on at a photo of her and her husband holding a baby Nolan. "Hey, Mom…I'm back." Mrs. York turned, and with a smile, with tears running down her cheeks, she got up and ran to hug her son.

* * *

**Civic City**

**York Residence Garage**

**August 13****th**

Nolan smiled, looking at a text message photo of the moon. Also in the text was a '3' which made the teen slightly blush. "Focus, no?" Nolan smirked, setting his phone aside to return to the task at hand.

"Sorry, friend, social life, you know." Nolan laughed as soon as he realized who he was talking to. "So…" Nolan grabbed his wielding torch, resuming his work. He wielded to wires together, and with a smile, he closed the metal shell covering a mixture of complicated wiring. "Finished. You should have movement back in your arm, Death's Head."

A ten foot-tall mechanoid grunted as he bent his arm, examining the work the teen had done. "Not you're first time job, no?" The mechanoid asked.

"Not really." Nolan smirked, getting up from where he was seated. The mechanoid, Death's Head reached out to one of his many pouches, his intent to grab his wallet. "That's not necessary friend." Nolan said, confusing the mechanoid. "I owe you for something you do six years ago my time. Consider it a debt repaid for an old friend."

"Hrn. Haven't met yet, no?" Death's Head muttered. "'Till then Locksmith, yes?" The mechanoid pulled out spherical device. He tapped the sides of the device, and in a flash of blue light, he was gone.

Nolan laughed, shaking his head. He sat back down in his seat, grabbing his phone; he began to type a reply message. 'Cool', Nolan wrote, adding a '3' at the end. With it all said and done, Nolan hit send. He sat and watched in anticipation as the upload stream reached one hundred under the name 'Crystal'.

'_Knock'_

Nolan looked up from his phone, turning to see a teen wearing a dull brown cap and yellow goggles at his garage's front door. Nolan walked up to his garage's door and opened it. "Hello?" Nolan asked before his eyes widened in shock as he recognized the teen standing before him. "Hoagie?" He asked surprised.

"Yeah, Nolan, it's me, Numbuh 2." Hoagie muttered, stepping into the garage.

"H-How?" Nolan turned around with a surprised look on his face. "How did you-? How do you-? I'm sorry-I'm-I'm lost here. I got a 'lot' of questions for you."

Hoagie took a seat at Nolan's desk. "I bet you do, Nolan, I was after all decommissioned." Hoagie muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But boy, do I have a story for you…"

* * *

**Thank You for taking the time to read this. Next time: 'Gilligan's Conundrum'.**


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